Hina Matsuri - Japan's Doll Festival

Central to Hina Matsuri are the displays of beautiful traditional dolls, or hina-ningyou in Japanese.

The origin of the dolls is the ancient belief that dolls could be used to trap and contain evil spirits. Straw dolls would be floated down the river, supposedly taking the bad spirits with them, thus ensuring safety and good luck for children.

In the Heian period, the tradition of displaying dolls began, which is why the traditional dolls wear the clothing styles of the Heian Imperial Court. These costumes are elaborate multi-layered silk kimono, often heavily embroidered in gold and vibrant-coloured silks. A traditional doll in a handcrafted miniature costume can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so doll sets are often passed down as family heirlooms, being added to each generation.

Dolls are displayed from mid-February or even earlier, but are taken down immediately after the festival. It is believed that displaying the dolls after March 4th will mean late marriage for the daughters of the house!

Hina-Ningyo are traditionally displayed on a five- or seven-tiered stand, though they can vary from one tier, to huge displays like the one pictured, at Tomisaki Shrine.

The most important dolls are the Emperor (Odairi-sama) and Empress (Ohina-sama). This pair sit on the top tier, with a screen of pleated gold paper behind them, and surrounded by accessories of lamps and blossoming peach branches.

The other tiers hold the Imperial couple's court and servants - from top to bottom:
Three court ladies serving sake
Five musicians
Two ministers
Three samurai
Household furniture and equipment
Carriages and travelling equipment.

The dolls can be incredibly expensive - for example, this emperor and empress set on Rakuten retails at over $4000! Many people enjoy making their own instead. Read on for some Hina-matsuri crafts that you can make at home with your own little girls!

As well as dolls, little girls are given gifts of candy. The traditional snacks are small sweetened rice crackers, 'Sakuramochi', which are pink rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in an edible leaf, and 'Hishimochi', which are diamond-shaped layered rice cakes, coloured with plum blossoms, water chestnuts, and green leaves. Nowadays, many other kinds of candy in the traditional colours of pink, white and green are also given.

Chirashi sushi is a must on your doll festival menu! Unlike most kinds of sushi, it consists of various toppings scattered on top of a bowl of cooked, lightly vinegared, rice.

You can use any toppings you like on hinachirashi, traditionally it is made with pink and white ingredients, along with ribbons of thinly sliced omelette and strips of nori seaweed. Cooked shrimp, egg ribbons and green beans scattered prettily on top of a bowl of rice make a nice child-friendly version, but you can also use mushrooms, any kind of pink seafood, sliced fishcake (the pink-and-white pinwheel kind can be found at some Asian supermarkets) and any green vegetables.

Clam soup is another traditional food. One of the things Japanese parents hope for their daughters is that they will grow up to be happily married - clamshells symbolise a good marriage, as the two halves of the shell fit together perfectly, and only with each other. The clams for the soup are supposed to be cooked in their shell, and the bowl should contain at least one unbroken pair of shells!

After supervising a party of little girls all hyper on pink-and-white candy, the adults may appreciate a cup of shirozake, a kind of milky-coloured rice wine said to represent purity.

Besides the dolls, hina-matsuri decorations include silk or paper lanterns (in pink and white, of course!) and plum blossoms.